SECURITY MONITORING WITH PROGRAMMABLE MAPPING

• US 20090167862A1
• Filed: 02/23/2007
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RSI Video Technologies Incorporated (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RSI Video Technologies Incorporated (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jentoft, Keith A., Reibel, Jean-Michel
• Granted Patent: US 9,189,934 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19617 Surveillance camera constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19641 Multiple cameras having overlapping views on a single scene
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0879 Manual configuration through operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Abstract

An integrated security arrangement is implemented in a variety of embodiments. In one such embodiment an integrated security arrangement includes a plurality of intrusion sensors that sense an intrusion in a target area, a motion sensor, and an image-capture device that is responsive to the motion sensor. When the image-capture device is enabled it captures images of the target area in response to movement in the target area as indicated by the motion sensor. The integrated security arrangement also includes a mapping database that contains data used to associate one or more of the plurality of intrusion sensors with the image-capture device. A user configures the mapping database to select at least one of the intrusion sensors for enabling the image-capture device. The integrated security arrangement further includes a control unit that enables the image-capture device in response to the selected intrusion sensor as configured in the mapping database.

Claims

1. An integrated security arrangement, comprising:

a plurality of intrusion sensors;

a motion sensor to sense motion in a target area;

an image-capture device physically integrated with the motion sensor to capture images of the target area in response to the motion sensor and in response to at least one selected one of the intrusion sensors; and

a control arrangement including a mapping database that contains data used to associate one or more of the plurality of intrusion sensors with the image-capture device and to permit a user to configure the mapping database to select said at least one of the plurality of intrusion sensors to which the image-capture device is responsive.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, further including a base unit that physically integrates the image-capture device with the motion sensor, and wherein the control arrangement is configurable to override responsiveness of the image-capture device to the motion sensor and said selected one of the intrusion sensors, and to cause the image-capture device to capture images of the target area in response to a security code received at the control arrangement.

3. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the control arrangement is configurable to override responsiveness of the image-capture device to the motion sensor or said selected one of the intrusion sensors, and to cause the image-capture device to capture images of the target area in response to a security code received at the control arrangement.

4. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the control arrangement is configurable to cause the image-capture device to capture images of the target area in response to a security code received at the control arrangement.

5. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the control arrangement is configurable to cause the image-capture device to capture images of the target area in response to a signal from a sensor, the signal representing a detectable situation, and wherein the signal is directly provided to the image-capture device.

6. The arrangement of claim 1, where the control arrangement is configurable to override the image-capture device to cause the image-capture device to capture images of the target area in response to a signal from a sensor, the signal representing a detectable situation and the signal from at least one of one of the plurality of intrusion sensors, a sensor other than one of the plurality of intrusion sensors.

7. The integrated security arrangement of claim 1, wherein the image-capture device includes and is integrated with the motion sensor, and further including a user interface that receives data for configuring the mapping database.

8. The integrated security arrangement of claim 1, wherein the image-capture device includes and is integrated with the motion sensor, and further including a user interface that receives data for configuring the mapping database, and wherein configuring the mapping database is limited based upon a control level associated with a user that is configuring the mapping database.

9. The integrated security arrangement of claim 8, wherein configuring the mapping database is limited based upon a different control level for a different user.

10. The integrated security arrangement of claim 1, further including a communication device to transmit signals to a remotely-located central controller, and housing to contain the communication device, the control unit, the motion sensor, and the image-capture device.

11. The integrated security arrangement of claim 1, wherein multiple sensors are linked in the mapping database, thereby requiring more than one sensor be tripped prior to the image-capture device capturing pictures.

12. The integrated security arrangement of claim 1, wherein the image-capture device is used to differentiate between images of a human and another moving object.

13. The integrated security arrangement of claim 1, wherein the intrusion sensor is one of a window contact and a glass-break detector.

14. The integrated security arrangement of claim 1, wherein, responsive to data stored in the mapping database, a second image-capture device capture images in response to a first image-capture device capturing images.

15. The integrated security arrangement of claim 1, further including a user interface and an installation interface that each receive input for configuring the mapping database, wherein the user interface has a first level of access to the mapping database and the installation interface has a second level of access to the mapping database.

16. The integrated security arrangement of claim 15, wherein said first level of access is a subset of said second level of access.

17. The integrated security arrangement of claim 1, wherein, in a first mode, the image-capture device captures one or more still images and, in a second mode, the image-capture-device captures video images.

18. The integrated security arrangement of claim 1, wherein the image-capture device includes and is integrated with the motion sensor, and further including a user interface that receives data for configuring the mapping database, and wherein the mapping database stores data identifying the image-capture device and each of the plurality of intrusion sensors.

19. The integrated security arrangement of claim 1, wherein the image-capture device includes and is integrated with the motion sensor, and further including a user interface that receives data for configuring the mapping database, and wherein the user interface is one of a personal computer running software configured to interface with the control unit through a communication link, a keypad and a remote server.

20. An integrated security arrangement, comprising:

an intrusion sensor;

a plurality of motion sensors to sense motion in respective target areas;

a selected at least one of a plurality of image-capture devices, the selected image-capture device physically integrated with a respective one of the plurality of motion sensors, to capture images of the respective target area in response to the respective motion sensor and the intrusion sensor; and

a control arrangement including a mapping database that contains data used to associate the intrusion sensor with the selected image-capture device and to permit a user to configure the mapping database to select said at least one of a plurality of image-capture devices that which is responsive to the intrusion sensor.

21. The integrated security arrangement of claim 20, further including a base unit that physically integrates the image-capture device with the motion sensor, and wherein the image-capture devices are each integrated with respective motion sensors, and further including a user interface that receives data for configuring the mapping database.

22. The integrated security arrangement of claim 20, wherein the image-capture devices are integrated with the respective motion sensors, and further including a user interface that receives data for configuring the mapping database, and wherein configuring the mapping database is limited based upon a control level associated with a user that is providing the data for configuring the mapping database, and wherein configuring the mapping database is limited based upon a different control level for a different user.

23. The integrated security arrangement of claim 20, wherein each image-capture device further includes a camera, and a housing to contain the control unit, the motion sensor, and the camera.

24. The integrated security arrangement of claim 20, wherein the image-capture devices are used to differentiate between images of a human and another moving object.

25. The integrated security arrangement of claim 20, wherein the intrusion sensor is one of a window contact and a glass-break detector.

26. The integrated security arrangement of claim 20, wherein after the selected at least one of a plurality of image-capture devices captures an image, and after a delay, another one of the image-capture devices is enabled in response to data stored in the mapping database and independent of additional sensors.

27. The integrated security arrangement of claim 20, further including a user interface and an installation interface that each receive input for configuring the mapping database, wherein the user interface has a first level of access to the mapping database and the installation interface has a second level of access to the mapping database.

28. The integrated security arrangement of claim 20, further including a user interface and an installation interface that each receive input for configuring the mapping database, wherein the user interface has a first level of access to the mapping database and the installation interface has a second level of access to the mapping database, and wherein said first level of access is a subset of said second level of access.

29. The integrated security arrangement of claim 20, wherein, in response to a user selected mode, the control unit configures two or more image-capture devices of the plurality of image-capture devices to consecutively capture images independent of their respective motion sensors.

30. The integrated security arrangement of claim 20, wherein the mapping database stores data identifying each of the plurality of image-capture devices.